500 Tenge Red Wolf

Part of Kazakhstan's wildlife conservation series issued in the early 2000s, this coin belongs to a run of gold commemoratives that the National Bank produced in limited quantities to spotlight endangered species native to the Kazakh steppe and surrounding regions. The red wolf — classified as critically endangered, with wild populations confined primarily to isolated pockets of South and Southeast Asia by the mid-twentieth century — had effectively vanished from Central Asian range by the time this coin was struck.

The two inset diamonds are set directly into the coin face, a production technique that required coordination between the mint and a separate stone-setting operation. KM#193 is among the earlier Kazakh issues to use this combined precious-metal and gemstone format.